News

Wheeler’s nomination advances; pressure from ethanol supporters continues

EPA acting administrator Andrew Wheeler is one step closer to officially becoming the new head of EPA.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 11 to 10 Tuesday, along party lines, to advance Wheeler’s nomination to the full Senate.

Meanwhile, ethanol supporters are keeping the pressure on Wheeler to finalize a rule allowing year-round sales of E15 and to reallocate the gallons of ethanol production lost to small refinery exemptions handed out by previous EPA administrator Scott Pruitt.

Corning, Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser is one of those weighing in. He says the exemptions have been especially devastating.

“Those exemptions have cost our ethanol producers about two-and-a-half billion gallons over the last couple of years in lost demand for ethanol,” Gaesser says. “That translates directly to farm profits. It translates directly to jobs in rural America.”

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw says Wheeler needs “to restore sanity to the process for small-refinery exemptions to the RFS”. American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings issued a statement saying it is critical for Wheeler to “repair the damage done to renewable fuels by his predecessor”.

AUDIO: Ray Gaesser

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!